American Sass
by Kyandi-Akatensei
Summary: Hyotei's coach, Sasaki's, sister recently married...to an American with a seventeen year old daughter. Now, to give the newlyweds their space Sasaki has brough his new niece to Japan. Shishido always liked a girl with sass, but this girl might have more sass then he can handle. Takes place in highschool. Rated M for future chapters. Shishido/OC
1. Distraction

_**Summary:**_ Hyotei's coach, Sakaki's, sister recently married...to an American with a seventeen year old daughter. Now, to give the newlyweds their space Sakaki has brought his new niece to Japan. Shishido always liked a girl with sass, but this girl might have more sass then he can handle. Takes place in high school. Rated M for future chapters. Shishido/OC

Kyandi: Hey everyone! So recently I got to looking and I realized I have an OC pairing for three of the four main schools, Seigaku, Rikkai Dei, and Shitenhoji, but none for Hyotei. So I'd like to introduce my new OC, Ebony Kraven.

Ebony: Actually in Japan it would be Kraven Ebony.

Kyandi: Alright smart aleck. Anyway for those of you new to my relam of stories, I'm Kyandi-sama.

Ebony: For those of you who already reside in this twisted story world of hers...run!

Kyandi: You're not funny!

Ebony: Sure I am.

Kyandi: Whatever, we're moving one. Everyone please enjoy and review.

Ebony: Kyandi-sama does not own Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 1 Distractions

"What the hell!?" The yell could clearly be heard by all members of the Hyotei boys' tennis club. Many stopped in their practice to look up. From the sounds of the yell it seemed Mukahi was angry with one of his teammates.

It also seemed that, that teammate was his captain. Shishido and Ohtori even stopped in their practice to look over to where Mukahi was yelling at Atobe, who was basically ignoring the other boy. "What's going on?" Shishido asked Hiyoshi as he and Ohtori walked up to where the second year stood with Oshitari.

"The same as always. Atobe did something that Gakuto doesn't like and Gakuto lost his temper." Oshitari remarked as they watched. "Super lame." Shishido remarked. It seemed that if it wasn't one thing with their team, it was another and most of it was because of their captain.

After yelling at Atobe for a good ten or fifteen minutes, Mukahi finally seemed to realize that the captain wasn't listening to him and hadn't been the whole time he had been yelling. If it wasn't for what bit of respect he held for his captain, Shishido had a feeling that Mukahi might have hit the rich diva a long time ago.

Not that he blamed him of course. Sometimes Atobe really could just take something too far. That was just Atobe in the end. When Mukahi joined them, Atobe behind him, he was still steaming. "Exactly what was that about?" Oshitari asked his doubles partner. "We need a damn manager and he won't listen." Mukahi remarked gesturing to Atobe who was ignoring the comment.

It was obvious why Atobe was ignoring it. If the team announced they needed a manager the courts would be swamped with Atobe fangirls. None of which would actually be serious about doing a manager's job. They'd still be in the position they were in, except with a fangirl running around after Atobe.

None of them wanted that. "You know why we can't get one, Gakuto." Oshitari told him, which only got a pout from Mukahi. "And that's his fault." Mukahi said pointing at Atobe.

"Blaming him isn't going to change the fact that if we announced that we needed a manager, all the girls in school would go crazy." Shishido remarked. "But we can't keep having the others split all of the manager jobs!" Mukahi argued. Shishido opened his mouth to argue back, his temper spiking slightly when laughter reached his ears.

"You boys sound like a bunch of bickering children, rather than high schoolers." Every boy on the court turned and looked up into the bleachers behind them. Half way up the stairs to the door that led from the courts to the clubroom, stood a girl.

The girl clearly wasn't from the school, or even from the country. Standing straight, instead of leaned forward on a rail, she might have stood about five foot, six. Her frame was a lean whipcord type with modest curves.

She was pretty, but clearly a tomboy. Her hair was a bright, flaming strawberry-blonde, with more strawberry then blonde. It was cut in a heavily layered look and fell just past her shoulders. The cut lent her a boyish look but was still long enough to dress up if she had to.

The tips were dyed a bright yellow. At the moment the hair was pulled over her shoulder and side swept bangs were parted to the left and fell to frame her slender face with its high cheek bones. Her features where defiantly not Japanese, nor was the tanned skin tone she boosted.

She wore black jeans stuffed into the top of black boots and belted with a studded belt. Her shirt was a simple red tank top and she wore a black bomber jacket over it. She wore no make-up, but she did wear an air of confidence that came awfully close to arrogance.

The only jewelry she wore were two earrings in each ear, a third in her left ear, and a choker styled necklace with feathers as the charm. Sunglasses hid her eyes from the boys but nothing could hide the grin that curved her lips.

"Who the hell are you!?" Mukahi snapped. "Gakuto, temper." Oshitari told him, but the girl only laughed. "My, quite a temper in such a small boy." she remarked. "I'm eighteen! I'm not a boy!" Mukahi replied only getting more laughter for his effort.

"Oh, so sorry. You just seem too...small to be a man." she told him. There was no intentional malice in her voice, but Mukahi took it as an insult.

Oshitari laid a hand on Mukahi's shoulder to hold the boy back from charging up the stairs. "You're not from Japan are you?" Oshitari asked looking up at the girl. Shishido had noticed the accent the girl's Japanese carried as well.

The girl looked down at herself. "Do I look Japanese to you?" she asked as an answer. Despite the accent, her Japanese was flawless. Whoever her teacher had been, had been very good at speaking the language. "No, no you don't." Oshitari remarked.

"Then there's your answer." she told him. "You're American, aren't you?" Ohtori asked. "Not technically." the girl replied. "Not technically?" Shishido repeated. "My father is Native American. My mother was Australian. So technically speaking no, I'm not American. Just born there." she replied.

"Regardless of that, you can not be here." Atobe remarked, stepping forward. "Is that so. I beg to differ." she replied. "Ore-sama will ask you to leave, nicely." Atobe told her giving her his charming smile. The girl tilted her head to the side.

"Why?" she asked. "You are disturbing our practice." Atobe told her. "From what I see, your teammate's aruging is disturbing your practice." she replied almost instantly. Shishido glanced at Atobe. There was a small annoyed tick in his facial features but Atobe simply turned on the charm and flipped his hair.

"If you are lost, Ore-sama would happy to show you the way." Atobe told her. He reply, was a snort. The girl snapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry! I really shouldn't laugh. It's just very amusing." she said waving one hand. "What's amusing?" Atobe asked. "Boys with access amounts of confidence." she replied.

"Come again!?" Atobe asked. "Your level of confidence in your charm and appearance is...ungodly, to say the least." she told him. She stood up straight and crossed her arms over her chest. "I always find amusement in a male's confidence." she added.

"Why?" Shishido asked. This girl herself gave off a confident, somewhat cocky, air. "Because it boarders on arrogance." she replied simply. "Are you calling Ore-sama, arrogant?" Atobe asked. "You call yourself Ore-sama. I believe you just answered your own question." she replied.

The ringing of a cell phone cut off anything any of the boys was about to say. The girl pulled a silver and black phone out of her pocket, looking at the screen, and then put it to her ear. "Ebony speaking." she said. She stood there for a moment while someone on the other end talked. "Of course. On my way." she said before hanging up and flipping her phone close.

"Well its been fun, boys. See you later." she told the boys before turning on her heel. "Hey wait!" The girl stopped and turned to look down at the boys when Shishido told her to wait. "Just who are you?" he asked. The girl smiled.

"Just call me Ebony. We'll meet again." she told him giving him a little wave over her should before she took off up the stairs and vanished from sight. "That was strange." Oshitari remarked. "That girl was weirder then Atobe's fangirls." Mukahi added.

"Gakuto, be nice." Oshitari told his doubles partner. "Speaking of his fangirls, I'm surprised she got past them." Shishido remarked. "It doesn't matter. Back to practice." Atobe told them. The boys returned to practice though Shishido couldn't help finding some amusement in the way the girl had treated Atobe. She certainly had some sass on her.

\- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -

The rest of the day passed uneventful for Shishido. Though he had other things to focus on, the girl, Ebony, wasn't far from his thoughts. She had just shown up out of no where and had no problem putting Atobe in his place.

It was hard not to think about her and wonder where she had come from and why she was at Hyotei. The latter was defiantly a question that kept popping into his mind. The girl wasn't Japanese and clearly didn't know or care about who Atobe was.

There wasn't really any other reason he could think of that would have brough her to their tennis courts. If he just knew the answer to that question then maybe he could get her out of his head and being able to focus more.

As it was he found himself still thinking about what could have brough her to Hyotei as he walked to the club room with Ohtori and the others. At least she wouldn't be there to disturb practice again. He didn't think Atobe or Mukahi could take it.

"Hello boys." The moment the boys walked into the locker room, they came to a screeching halt behind Atobe who was staring at the desk that he claimed as his own. Shishido leaned around Atobe and saw why Atobe had come to a stop.

Sitting in the over stuffed, winged desk chair, her legs thrown over one arm of the chair, was Ebony herself. She still had her sunglasses on, hiding her eyes. The girl was completely relaxed and was fiddling with a tennis ball.

It looked as if she had been sitting there for a while. "How long have you been there?" Atobe asked. Ebony held up the ball to look at it before spinning the ball on the tip of one finger in a bored manner.

"Pretty much all afternoon. I was bored and figured it was better then nothing." she replied. "How did you even get in here without a key!?" Mukahi snapped.

Ebony dug in her pant's pocket and pulled out a key ring which she spun on one finger. "I have a key, actually." she replied, idly. The boys stared at her in shock, silence falling over them and making her finally look up at them.

"Cat got your tongue?" she asked raising an eyebrow. "How did you get the keys!?" That was a mixed yell from Mukahi, Hiyoshi, and Shishido. "What is with all this noise?" Everyone turned as Sakaki stepped into the room. He looked over the boys before his eyes went to Ebony.

"This girl has keys to the club room!" Mukahi told their coach. "I am aware." Sakaki remarked. "Wha-what? You know?" Mukahi asked. "Yes. I am the one that gave them to her." Sakaki informed the boys as he turned to walk to the desk.

The boys watched him in shock. Had he really just said what they thought he had said. Why in the world had Sakaki given this strange girl a key to their clubroom? He seemed to know Ebony, on some level but that didn't explain why she had a key.

"Wh-why?" Shishido asked when no one else spoke up. Sakaki ignored him, his attention on Ebony. "Ebony, if you are going to sit in that chair then sit properly like a lady. You were raised better." Sakaki told Ebony, who swung her legs off the arm of the arm and sat up properly in the chair. She gave Sakaki a smile before she said, "Of course...Uncle".

"_**UNCLE!?**_" All of the boys looked from Ebony to Sakaki, searching for any features that could possibly be the same and prove them to be family. But none of them could find a single feature that the two shared. Not a one.

Ebony smiled then. "You can close your mouths boys. He's my uncle by marriage alone." Ebony told them as she templed her hands and leaned forward to rest her chin on them. Sakaki gave Ebony a look which she returned with a smile.

"By marriage?" Oishitari asked. "My younger sister recently got married." Sakaki replied. "To my father. Too bad for her it came with a teenaged step-daughter." Ebony added. "Ebony." Sakaki said in a lightly warning tone. Ebony rolled her eyes to the side to look off into a corner. It was clear Ebony didn't care if she pushed any buttons with Sakaki.

"Boys this is Kraven Ebony. Yes she is my niece. She is also, as of tomorrow, a student here at Hyotei." Sakaki said gesturing to Ebony. All boys looked at Ebony, who gave them a small wave. "That means you have to wear the _**uniform**_, Ebony." Sakaki told the girl who frowned.

"I hate skirts." she replied. "It doesn't matter. That is the rule." Sakaki said. Ebony heaved a huff but Sakaki ignored her. "I expect you boys to treat her well." Sakaki told the boys before turning to exit the clubroom. All of the boys watched him leave before turning back to Ebony, who grinned.

"I told you I begged to differ when you said I couldn't be here." she told Atobe. Atobe looked at her and she gave him a grin. Ebony got to her feet. "Well I'll let you boys get to practice." she said as she head for the door. "See you later, boys!" she called over her shoulder before heading out the door.

Once she was out the door Atobe turned to look at it, clearly angry. Shishido though was interested. There was a lot about her that was interesting. She was the niece of his coach, she knew how to rumple Atobe's feathers, and she did it all with a confident grin.

And tomorrow she would be going to their school and would be able to come and go from their clubroom and courts as she pleased. It was bound to be a sight to see, watching her anger Atobe. Well...a sight to see for him.

END

Kyandi: HA! I love sticking it to Atobe.

Ebony: Defiantly seems like fun.

Kyandi: I do believe you'll be one of my favorite OCs.

Ebony: Oh goody.

Kyandi: Is that sarcasm I hear?

Ebony: Noooooo...

Kyandi: Uh-huh. Anyway everyone enjoy and review.

Ebony: We'll be back soon. Too soon.

Kyandi: Bye, bye!


	2. Hello Manager

Kyandi: We're back~!

Ebony: Told you it was too soon.

Kyandi: Shove it.

Ebony: Hey, hey, I thought you said I was going to be one of your favorites.

Kyandi: Only when you're bugging Atobe and not me.

Ebony: Well that's no fun. I have to bug everyone.

Kyandi: Lets just get on with this. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.

Ebony: Kyandi-sama does not own Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 2 Hello Manager

The next morning Shishido met Ohtori as he usually did, on his way to practice. Soon after that Mukahi and Oshitari joined them and then Hyoshi and a sleep walking Jirou. Atobe, who only attended the second half of morning practice, would show his face later that morning with Kabaji not far behind.

So until then it was just the six of them on their way to practice. Not that Atobe would of walked to school anyhow. He would be more likely to take a car, or a helicopter. Shishido was talking with Ohtori when Mukahi came to a screeching halt in front of him, almost making him knock the red head over.

"What the hell?" Shishido asked. "She's back." Mukahi said grumpily as he looked up at the school gate before them. Shishido looked up, following Muhaki's gaze.

Sure enough, sitting on top of the brick wall of the school gate, was Ebony. It was kind of hard to miss her with all of that blazing hair. She was wearing the school's girls' uniform, minus the blazer.

She still had all of her earrings in, though they had been traded for smaller, less noticeable earrings and she had traded her boots for school uniform shoes and thigh high stockings. Her bag was sitting next to her on the wall with her blazer as she sat idly swinging her legs.

It looked like she was waiting for someone and Shishido had a pretty good idea on what she was waiting for. Especially since she was over an hour early for school and wasn't yet in any clubs. It was then that she caught sight of them and tilted her head back to look at them.

"Why are you boys just standing there gawking? Don't you have practice to get to?" she asked. "Why are you on the school gate!?" Mukahi retorted, pointing at her.

"Because I can see most of the front half of the campus from here. Quite a sight if I do say so." she replied. "And because your coach told me to come to the clubroom with all of you. So I was waiting." she added.

Mukahi's expression at that time was close to a pout. Clearly he was not happy with it, but he would get over it, sooner or later. Oishitari pat him on the shoulder, as Ebony jumped down from the gate, pulling her bag and blazer with her.

She had no consideration for the fact that her skirt flew up somewhat when she did. Especially in front of guys. She was defiantly a complete tomboy who was more use to wear shorts and pants, then skirts and dresses.

"You shouldn't be jumping from walls like that while wearing a skirt. Unless you want every guy around to see your underwear." Shishido told her as all of the boys tried to avoid catching a glimpse of her panties. Ebony looked down at the skirt and let out a small annoyed noise.

"And that is exactly why I hate skirts. I can't do anything I normally do with one on. It drives me insane. Whoever thought women should wear them should choke in hell." she remarked taking her blazer and tying it around her waist.

Shishido barely held back a snort of laughter. She made sure it was knotted tight about her waist before falling into step with the boys. Shishido was pretty sure she would get in trouble for wearing her blazer that way, but he didn't say a thing.

It wasn't for him to point out anyway. "Any idea why he wanted you to come to the clubroom with us?" Shishido asked looking at her. "Not a clue. That was all he told me before he took off again. I have no idea what that man is thinking. I've only really known him for a month." Ebony replied.

Shishido and the rest of the boys, looked at her then. She didn't sound or look too pleased. Shishido supposed he couldn't really blame her for that. After all she had gained a step-mother and then had been sent to Japan for her new uncle to keep an eye on.

It was a new school, new people, and even worse...a new country. It was bound to not be easy for her. That alone made Shishido wonder where Ebony's mother was and if she approved of it.

All seven of the high schoolers remained silent as they made their way to the clubroom, Ebony looking around as they went. There they found a surprise. Sakaki was there...with a very unhappy Atobe sitting in his usual chair behind the desk.

"Atobe? What are you doing here so early?" Oishitari asked when he saw his captain. Atobe's eyes landed on Ebony, who raised an eyebrow at the annoyed expression thrown her way. "Did I do something annoying today that I wasn't aware of?" she asked, confused by the look.

"No, Ebony. I believe it was my choice that has annoyed him." Sakaki told her. "Your choice?" Ebony asked. "Tch! Ore-sama is not annoyed. It is simply...sudden." Atobe said. "Okay I'm lost." Ebony said. "I think we all are." Shishido assured her.

"Boys, from today on...Ebony will be your manager." Sakaki announced. Silence fell over the room as all of the boys turned their eyes to Ebony who was staring wide eyed at her uncle. It was clear it was a surprise to her too. Then...she laughed.

"I must still be mixing up some words in Japanese again because I could of sworn you just said I was going to be their manager!" Ebony said, laughing. But the laughter died when she saw the completely serious look on Sakaki's face.

Her smile, as well as her shoulders, dropped as it became clear that he wasn't kidding and that she had heard him right. "Crap!" she said lowly. "But I don't know anything about tennis!" she added in argument.

"No, perhaps not but you do know how to treat sports related injuries and how to work a training regiment for just about any sportsman's needs. And you will learn about tennis, through your time with the team." Sakaki replied.

"Yeah well, that's beside the point. I only did those manager duties for rugby. Its a completely different sport from tennis." Ebony replied. "The injuries are the same and the training can be the same." Sakaki told her.

It didn't look like he was going to let her off the hook and she didn't look like she was just going to let it slide. It was clear that she honestly didn't know anything about tennis and therefore then want to wait her time or their's by trying to be their manager.

She opened her mouth to spout off another argument against joining the club as a manager, but Sakaki wasn't going to hear anymore of it from her. He held up a hand to stop any farther argument from Ebony. Ebony closed her mouth to hear what he was about to say, though she was sure she wasn't going to like it.

"Your father left you in my care and I say you will do this. How else am I suppose to know where you are?" Sakaki said. "You're not." Ebony replied, getting a stern look from Sakaki.

\- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -

"I know, but...yes sir, but...I understand. Yes, sir. Alright, Papa. Yeah, see you at Christmas." Ebony hung up her phone, snapping it shut, and heaved a huff, blowing her bangs out of her face. "Rats!" she hissed. The boys in the room looked up at her.

Sakaki had already left and Ebony had instantly called her father to try to get out of being the club manager. According to her, she didn't want to be in any club, let alone a club that she knew next to nothing about. She had said that it was as big of a waste of their time as it was a waste of hers.

The boys could understand her point in the argument but it seemed Ebony's father didn't and wasn't going to let his daughter off the hook. "No luck?" Mukahi asked her. Ebony's bottom lip poked out as her shoulders slumped.

"My father said that being apart of a team again and making friends is good for me. He isn't going to let me off." Ebony replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I seriously don't know a thing about tennis! Rugby is completely different!" she added rubbing at one temple.

"You played rugby?" Shishido asked. "A little. I was more of a back-up player and manager. I was only able to play two years in middle school." Ebony replied with a shrug, as if the subject was one she didn't want to talk about.

Then she heaved a sigh. "I must apologize. He decided this because of me." she told the boys. "I suppose it could be worse." Shishido remarked drawing attention to himself. "We could have one of Atobe's crazy fangirls as the manager.

At least this way we don't have to worry with that and we can relieve the others of some of the manager jobs." Shishido explained. So yes he was trying to help her out. But simply because it honestly wasn't her fault that Sakaki and her father both agreed that she had to be the manager.

The other boys looked at each other. It was clear on their faces that they agreed with Shishido. "Shishido-san has a point." Ohtori voiced. "I guess as long its not one of his fangirls." Mukahi mumbled.

"We don't have a choice do we?" Atobe remarked. "Gee thanks, that makes me feel so great." Ebony replied. "I'd take what I can get if I were you, Ebony-chan." Oishitari said simply. This put a frown on Ebony's face. "If you say so. I mean, its so good to be compared to a crazy fangirl." she replied putting a hand to her chest.

"It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside." she added. The boys stared at her for a moment before looking at each other. "Has anyone ever told you, you have a sassy mouth?" Mukahi asked. "Yeah all the time, why?" Ebony replied.

The boys looked at each other but decided it was better then to point out the sass she had just thrown their way. "For now we should get introductions out of the way." Oishitari added, introducing each boy in turn. "Well as you know I'm Kraven Ebony, second year." Ebony replied as she slipped her phone back into her skirt pocket.

"So why are you here instead of with your mother or father?" Mukahi asked suddenly. Even the others could tell it was a question that shouldn't be asked that lightly. And yet, Mukahi had asked it without a second's thought.

"Oh would you look at the time! I got to go. See ya!" Ebony said quickly looking at her wrist like she was looking at a watch. With that she bolted out of the door and was gone. "Gakuto!" Oishitari scolded. "What!?" Mukahi asked looking at the others as they shook their heads. It wasn't the best start, but they would all have plenty of time to fix that.

END

Kyandi: Sassy, sassy.

Ebony: The story is called American Sass.

Kyandi: That's a bit beside the point.

Ebony: It doesn't matter. Anything to annoy Atobe.

Kyandi: Amen on that!

Ebony: So we're going to leave it at that for now.

Kyandi: Right! I'm working on the next chapter, so enjoy and review.

Ebony: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye, bye!


	3. Putting Them In Place

Kyandi: Hey everyone!

Ebony: We finally got the free time to start updating our existing stories.

Kyandi: So here we are!

Ebony: Even though its one a.m. and she has to be up in six hours.

Kyandi: I'll go to bed...in two hours.

Ebony: You're crazy.

Kyandi: About writing, yes I am!

Ebony: Whatever. Everyone enjoy and review.

Kyandi: I do not own Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 3 Putting Them In Place

Ebony heaved a sigh as opened the door to her new classroom. She had managed to avoid the question but she doubted she'd be able to avoid it if they insisted on wanting to know. After all she went to the same school and was now their club manager. She would be around them more now then she would have before. And that was the whole reason she didn't want to join any club. Friends her butt. Her father just wanted to give her a reason to want to stay in Japan so that when he and his new wife came back from their honeymoon they could live in Japan without Ebony throwing a royal size fit.

Ebony wasn't buying it.

There was no way in hell she was going to agree to it. Not in a million years. If that meant finding every reason possible to fight with Sakaki and to not make friends or find anything she liked, then she'd be happy to spend the next couple of months mesirable. After all at least back home she was closer to her mother.

No sooner had Ebony opened the door she heard her name.

"Ebony-chan!"

Ebony looked up to see Ohtori talking to a few others in the class. All of which looked up when Ohtori happily called out her name like he had. He gave her a wave when she looked at him. She could swear right then and there that Sakaki had set this up. It wasn't hard to tell that Ohtori was easily the easiest to get along with out of the regulars of the boys' tennis club. It would be next to freaking impossible not to like the boy and become friends. Even Ebony wasn't cold hearted enough to turn down a smile like that one.

Even if she didn't want to make friends.

She was starting to think that Sakaki was in on her father's plan. The traitor. If he was in on it then she was really going to be in for it. There was no way she could fight both of them on the matter. Her father was stubborn enough as it was. There was no telling how stubborn Sakaki was. But she had to suck it up and deal with it the best she could.

She gave Ohtori a small wave as he got up and came up to her, that bright smile on his face.

"So you're in this class?" he asked. Ebony gave him a small smile.

"It seems so. I wasn't aware that you were in this class, Ohtori." she said.

Of course since she wasn't Japanese and hadn't grown up in Japan, she wasn't one to use honorifics. Ohtori gave her a smile that easily melted her heart. Okay so she couldn't just be cold and mean to him. Looking at him with that look on his face was like looking at a pleading puppy.

"Yeah. Actually there's an open seat next to me if you want to take it. I don't think, Sensei, will mind if you do take it." Ohtori told her.

"Hey, Ohtori-kun, whose the cute girl? Your girlfriend?"

Ohtori blushed as two other boys popped up on either side of him. They were teasing the tall boy. Ebony could tell that as clear as day. And it seemed that Ohtori was the type of boy that shied away from confronting people like that. He would just take the teasing with a sheepish smile and let it slide.

Ebony, though, wouldn' let it slide. Ebony propped both hands on her hips as she raised one eyebrow at the two.

"And if I was? What's it to you two? Jealousy is a very ugly trait." she said shaking a finger at the two like she was their mother scolding them.

Both boys went red and back up quickly, acting like a pair of puppies that just got the scolding of their lives. Real mature. These boys were sixteen maybe seventeen and yet acted like they were six. Way to act like a man. Ohtori looked at the two as they retreated to their group of friends who were laughing and then looked back at Ebony. Ebony peered around him. The two even looked like puppies retreating with their tails between their legs.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to do that." Ohtori told her. Ebony waved it off idly.

"They shouldn't tease you. And you really shouldn't let them." Ebony took him, shaking a finger at him like he was a naughty puppy. It was kind of his fault as well for letting people tease him. Ohtori kind of hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry." he told her in a low voice.

Ebony stared at him before heaving a sigh.

"No, I'm sorry. I just don't like it when people get picked on or teased. I shouldn't blame you for it." she told him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No, actually Shishido-san tells me the same thing." Ohtori told her.

"Well then he is a smart man." Ebony replied. "Now where is this open seat?" she asked. A big smile brightened Ohtori's face.

"Come on." he said turning to lead the way. Okay so she was a sucker for the puppy dog look. So having a person she was friendly with wouldn't kill her. It was just one. Just one. Ohtori wasn't kidding when he said the seat was right next to his. The two would be desk partners and the seat put her right between Ohtori and a window. Which was fine with her. She actually kind of liked the view out the window. Ebony sat her bag down and turned to look at Ohtori who was standing right next to her now. Ebony looked up at him.

"You know, now that I think about it...you're really tall." she said looking up at him. Ohtori gave her an embarrassed smile.

"Yeah, I've been told that too." he said.

"It's not a bad thing. I know a lot of guys who'd kill to have your height." she told him as she pulled out her chair and sat down.

"I hear that a lot too." he remarked sitting down next to her.

"You hear a lot of things." Ebony replied. Ebony opened her bag and pulled out her books.

"Can I ask you a question, Ebony-chan?" Ohtori asked.

"Shoot." Ebony told him while she set out things.

"You said you were born in America. Was that not where you were raised?" Ohtori asked. Ebony shook her head.

"No it wasn't. I was raised most of my life in Austrailia, mate." Ebony told him, though the accent sounded a bit strange with Japanese instead of English.

"You're good at hiding the accent." Ohtori remarked.

"I've had a little practice." Ebony told him. Both looked up when the teacher walked in.

"Alright, quiet students, quiet. We have a new student." the teached said looking up until her eyes landed on Ebony.

"Ah! I see you found a seat already. Very well. Come up here and introduce yourself." she added.

Ebony heaved a sigh. She got to her feet ready to go through the usual polite greeting any new Japanese student would. But for hers she purposely made her accent noticable and refused to move from her spot by her desk. Might as well let them know they were dealing with a forgeiner.

"I'm Kraven Ebony. I'm from Australia. Please treat me nicely." she said before sitting. Whispers went up from around the class.

"You'd think they've never met a forgeiner before." Ebony said lowly to Ohtori.

"The last person most of them met that wasn't raised in Japan, was Atobe-buchou." Ohtori replied. Ebony looked at him.

"Really?" she asked. Ohtori nodded.

"He was raised in England. Came here his first year in middle school." Ohtori told her.

"Huh. You'd never know watching him." she remarked before the teacher called attention of all of the students back to her to start the lesson.

Ebony had been in an advance class in her old school and most of the lesson was material she had already covered. So she got through the first half of the school day mostly by staring out the window and zoning out. But when she was called she was still able to answer the question. It didn't pass fast but at least the time until lunch didn't drag by. When lunch rolled around Ohtori turned to her.

"Do you want to have lunch with Shishido-san and me?" he asked. Ebony looked up in surprise as she pulled her lunch from her bag. She was close to turning him down when his face took on that puppy dog pleading look again.

Ebony deflated. She really couldn't say no to that look.

"Uh...sure." she told him, putting another smile on his face. Ebony got to her feet and grabbed her lunch. She followed Ohtori as he lead the way to his usual lunch spot. When they approached the spot, Shishido was already there digging into his lunch.

"Oi, Chotarou what took you so long?" Shishido asked without looking up.

"We stopped to get drinks." Ohtori replied.

"We?" Shishido asked finally looking up, his chopsticks hanging from his mouth.

"Hey." Ebony greeted with a wave when he focused on her. Shishido stared at her.

"Nice look there. Are you trying to look like a sabertooth tiger or something?" Ebony remarked. Shishido's face turned a slight shade of red as he yanked the chopsticks out of his mouth.

"Super lame." he remarked lowly looking away from her. Ebony smiled.

"Ebony-chan is in my class." Ohtori told his partner as he sat down with his lunch. Ebony claimed a seat next him pulling out her own lunch.

"I invited her to have lunch with us." he added as she tucked into her lunch.

Shishido threw a glance at Ebony as she ate. It was easy to tell that the girl was a tomboy when one stopped to look at her. She didn't like skirts and had a somewhat boyish attitude to her. Shishido liked that about her.

"I'm surprised you haven't gotten in trouble for your hair yet." he remarked idly. Ebony scoffed.

"Why should I? Except for the yellow tips, its my natural hair color." she replied.

"Really?" Shishido asked looking at the flaming mass of hair that she had brushed back over her shoulders.

"Yeah. My mother's hair was a lighter shade then mine, but my father's hair is black. So I guess its natural that my hair was a bit darker then hers." Ebony remarked with a shrug. She looked up at him then.

"Is it really that strange considering the hair color of some of your teammates. Your partner's hair is silver." Ebony remarked pointing at Ohtori who blushed at being pulled into the conversation.

"A lot of people in my family have white or silver hair." Ohtori replied.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Ohtori. I was just trying to make a point." Ebony assured him, as she gestured with her chopsticks. Ohtori nodded his understanding.

Shishido watched the two as they interacted. Half a day of classes and already the two seemed to be getting along just fine. He watched as the conversation turned to how Ohtori let some people push him around and tease him.

"I'm telling you, Ohtori, you need to stand up to them. You're a big boy. No reason for you to be so shy." Ebony told Ohtori sternly, pointing her chopsticks at him.

Shishido couldn't help the grin on his face. He really liked this girl. He certainly wouldn't mind having her around more. She might actually turn out to be good for Ohtori. Maybe the tall second year would listen to her where he didn't listen to him.

"I'm telling you, you should gr...what are you grinning about over there, Shishido?"

Shishido snapped out of his thoughts when Ebony's eyes snapped to his and she frowned, her eyebrows snapping down and her eyes narrowing. It was more of a pout actually with the way her lips poked out.

"Nothing. Its just that I tell him the same thing." Shishido told her. Ebony glanced at Ohtori who was rubbing his neck.

"Yeah, he's told me." she replied.

"You'd think with such a reasonable person as his partner, he'd listen." she joked poking Ohtori in the side getting a sheepish smile from Ohtori as her reply.

"Well now he has to listen to it from two people." she added.

Both boys smiled at her, Ohtori not upset in the least that now he would get twice the scoldings for being so meek all of the time. Just then Ebony pulled a watch out of her skirt pocket, flipping it over to read the clock face.

"Whoops! I got to go. I have to report to my dear, pain in the back side of an uncle. See you two later!" Ebony said spinning on her spot and jumping off the wall she was sitting on, dragging her bento box with her.

"Uh! See you in class Ebony-chan!" Ohtori called after her.

"Yep! Listen to your partner, Ohtori! He's a smart man!" Ebony called over her shoulder before she was gone.

Both boys blinked as the girl was gone as quickly as she had been there. The girl never seemed to stay still for longer then she had to. Both sat there staring after her before Shishido turned to Ohtori with a big grin on his face.

"You heard her, Chotarou." he told his partner. Ohtori sheepishly rubbed his neck.

"I don't think she meant for that to give you a big head, Shishido-san." Ohtori told his friend bluntly making Shishido make a face at him.

\- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -

"Where's Ebony-chan? Isn't she in your class, Ohtori-kun?" Oshitari asked looking at the younger boy as they headed for the club room.

"She said she had some things she had to do so she left ahead of me." Ohtori told the others.

"What could she possibly be doing that more important then coming to the club?" Mukahi asked.

"She could already be in the club room for all we know, Gakuto." Oshitari told his partner who just scoffed.

And it turned out, as they opened the door, that Oshitari was right. Ebony looked up from where she was currently leaning over Atobe and sorting through paper work and other things.

"Oh hey there." she greeted.

"What are you doing?" Hiyoshi asked.

"Getting your captain all caught up on the paper work that will be require for this season so you boys can actually play." Ebony replied.

"Seeing how someone here, hasn't been doing it himself." she added looking at Atobe who was looking away from her.

"Why should Ore-sama have to do this?" Atobe asked, slamming a hand down on the desk top which set a few piece of paper fluttering. Ebony caught them and stacked them neatly back on the desk top. Ebony put one hand on her hip, the other braced on the desk.

"Because, Mr. Diva, you're the captain. If I have to be your manager, you're sure as hell going to do things correctly around here. Even if you don't want to." she told him.

"If I have to suffer dealing with fixing things around here, then you," Here Ebony poked Atobe hard in the chest with one finger. "are going to suffer with me. Now sign them and quit being a baby. You're eighteen for crying out loud." she added pushing the papers in front of him.

Atobe gave her a glare while the others fought back smiles and laughs. She was certainly going to be putting Atobe in his place. Ebony then turned to the others.

"What are all of you doing standing there? Don't you have practice to get to? What kind of example are you trying to set for the other non-regular members if you take your sweet time?" she asked raising an eyebrow. The boys scrambled to go change leaving their captian in the clutches of Ebony.

"She certainly knows how to put Atobe in his place." Oshitari remarked.

"She'll put us all in our places if we don't move it." Shishido replied. He had a feeling she would too.

And Ebony did just that. In the course of practice, Ebony went through the entire list of club members, aquainting herself with the member and memorizing names. With that done she started questioning members about their trainging regiments, checking them out and watching them play before adjusting the regiment accordingly.

The girl was never still for a moment, flying from one boy to the next, ignoring the foul remarks from the fan girls that watched from a distance. She would pause now and then to write something in a journal but that was it.

"Who set a fire under her ass?" Mukahi asked as the regulars watched her.

"She might not have wanted the job, but she's not doing it half assed." Shishido replied as they watched Ebony fly past them to the next boy on her list.

"Don't just stand around boys. I'm on to the regulars next." Ebony called to them as she passed.

The boys looked at each other before taking off. Until they knew how far she could be pushed without snapping, it was best they didn't test Ebony.

\- 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 -

"You need more milk in your diet."

Shishido looked up from his practice swing to look at Ebony who was sitting on top of a brick wall to his right. She was leaning back on her hands, her legs crossed, watching him with interest and a little half smirk on her face.

"I'm still taller then you, remember that." Shishido told her, getting a smile in reply from her.

"Only by a few inches." she replied.

"And you know, being a little taller then a girl isn't something to brag about. Especially when she's younger." she added. Shishido turned to face her.

"Are you just here to make fun of my height?" he asked.

"I wasn't making fun of your height. If I was you'd be screaming at me by now." she told him.

"Then what are you doing?" he asked.

"My job. What else? I've been sitting here watching you for a while. Your diet could stand to be tweaked a little but other wise, I don't see what all I could really do to improve your training." she told him.

She had been watching him? And she was praising him? The thought put a light blush on his face as he rubbed his neck.

"Exactly how long have you been sitting there?" he asked. Ebony grinned as she pushed herself off the wall and landed lightly on her feet. He didn't like the grin on her face as she approached him.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied. By this point she had reached him and had started circling him.

"What? Are you embarrassed by the idea of a girl watching you as you practice?" she asked as she passed behind him.

"No!" Shishido replied as she came back into view.

"Then why do you have a blush on your face?" she asked. He was pretty sure her grin couldn't get any bigger.

"I am not!" he snapped at her. Ebony stopped in front of him.

"If you say so. But," Ebony leaned in and tapped one of his cheeks with a finger tip. "That is definitely a blush." she finished.

Shishido was about to protest again when her hand snapped out and she snatched his hat off his head.

"Hey!" he said as she danced out of his reach, putting the hat on her own head.

"Nice hat. Nicely worn in." she remarked as she settled the hat among the mass of red hair before turning it backwards, like he wore it.

"Give it back." Shishido demaned. Ebony looked up at him, batting her lashes at him.

"But I don't want to." she told him. For a tomboy kind of girl she certainly knew how to turn on the charm. Then a grin spread across her face.

"You're called a Dash specialist. Least see how fast you are. If you want it back, you're going to have to catch me." she told him. Before Shishido could stop her she darted off, back towards the courts.

"Hey!" With that Shishido darted after her, following her back towards the courts.

"Give me back my hat!" he called after her.

"You'll never get it back if you're that slow!" Ebony called back.

Ebony easily jumped a low wall as she reached the courts where the others were starting to put things away for the day. She jumped over a net that two first years were taking down and shot past the other regulars. Shishido barely managed to keep from getting tangled up in the net before heading after her.

"Shishido-san?" Ohtori asked as his Doubles partner ran past him.

"She stole my hat!" Shishido called back.

"Comendeered, my friend! I comendeered it!" Ebony called back. Ebony darted back and forth, rocketing past others without hesitating for a second. Shishido was barely able to keep up with her.

"If you're a dash specialist then you should be able to move faster then that. Come on, show me what you got." Ebony called, as she turned to run backwards.

That was it. Shishido wasn't having anymore of this. In a burst of speed, he shot towards Ebony. The girl's eyes went wide and she turned to dart away, but it was too late. Without meaning to, Shishido plowed into the girl, knocking her off her feet. Both went down in a tangle of limbs, Shishido landing right on top of Ebony, who's breathe escaped her in one, big whoosh.

Ebony landed on her back, greatful that it hadn't been a hard fall. Then Shishido landed on her, his chest pressing into hers and his face stopping, inches from hers. With all of the air forced from her lungs, she tried to pull herself free, with no success. Then her eyes met his and for a moment the two just stared at each other, their noses brushing with how close their faces were.

Ebony's heart leapt up into her throat making her feel like she had a lump in lodged there. She had never been this close to a guy before and it was certainly awkard to say the least. She could see the blush starting to creep up in his cheeks and knew she was only seconds away from her face doing the same thing. She had to get him off her. Especially since she couldn't breath.

"Heavy!" she squeaked, pushing on his chest with both of her hands.

"Can't breath!" Shishido cursed lowly, his eyes going even wider.

"Sorry!" he said as he scrambled away from her, heaving himself up off her. Ebony took a deep breathe, filling her poor lungs with fresh air.

"That was like getting run over by a Flanker. And I've been hit by a couple of those before." Ebony remarked as she pushed herself into a sitting position, trying to cover her awkwardness and embarrassment. Shishido was knelling beside her, a light blush on his cheeks.

"You, my friend, could make a great Flanker in rugby." she told him as she rubbed at her ribs.

"Ebony-chan, are you alright!?" Ohtori asked as the rest of the regulars joined them.

"My ribs will be sore for a while but I'm fine." she replied as she waved a hand. The boys all stepped back as she got to her feet.

"That's what I get for trying to get him to show me his dash skills." she muttered more to herself.

"That's what you were doing?" Mukahi asked. Ebony looked up at him.

"Uh...yeah. What did you think I was doing?" she asked.

"Making fun of him, flirting with him." Mukahi retorted. Ebony stared at him, blinking a few times before her hands went to her hips.

"I know I'm a catch, but come on! That is _**not**_ how I flirt." she replied. Several of the boys sweat dropped when Ebony called herself a catch.

"A catch!? More like an annoyance!" Mukahi snapped.

"Yeah, yeah, sticks and stones." Ebony replied, waving him away like he was a child annoying her. Before Mukahi could say anything else more offensive, Yuushi grabbed him.

"Anyhow my job is to access your skills and see what areas need more work. I wanted to see how good his dash skills were." Ebony replied as she dusted dirt off her clothes.

"I didn't expect to tackled for my troubles or to end up pinned under a guy I just met." she added.

Shishido turned red and started stuttering. Ebony looked at him and smiled. It was an actual smile.

"Shishido." she said, a laugh in her voice. Shishido fell silent.

"I was joking. Teenage girls do, do that." she told him as she removed his hat from her head and held it out to him.

"Here. I got what I needed." she told him. Shishido took his hat back, putting it on his head. With the hat handed over, Ebony was all business again.

"I'll have the new regiment made up for you tomorrow morning. Meaning I have to get home. Have fun." she told them, giving them an absent wave as she turned to walk away.

"Ebony-chan, wait! If you'll wait, I'll walk you home!" Ohtori called after her.

"No thanks! I'm a big girl. I'll be just fine on my own." she called over her shoulder before she left the courts.

The truth was...she couldn't be around them. If Ohtori came with her then so would Shishido. Ebony felt her cheeks heat up as she thought back to when Shishido landed on her. That was far too close and far too embarrassing for her be close to him for now. Tomorrow she would be able to face him with no problem. Just not right now.

END

Kyandi: And there's you're new chapter!

Ebony: He was heavy.

Kyandi: No duh! He's a guy and has purely muscle. Muscle weights more then fat.

Ebony: But he's short!

Kyandi: Not to you!

Ebony: Details, mate, details.

Kyandi: Anyway, everyone enjoy and review!

Ebony: We'll be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye, bye!


	4. Buckling Down

Kyandi: Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long to get back.

Ebony: Kyandi gets really busy during the summer.

Kyandi: Yeah, but I've gained a little more free time. Mostly in the mornings before work, but free time is free time.

Ebony: And thus we're back.

Kyandi: Who says "and thus" these days?

Ebony: I don't know. I just say what you write. Remember I'm a figment of your imagination.

Kyandi: Yeah and that poor creature I call an imagination is feeling overworked.

Ebony: Impossible!

Kyandi: Not really. Anyway, lets move on. Everyone enjoy and review.

Ebony: Kyandi does not own Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 4 Buckling Down

Morning saw Shishido still embarrassed about what had happened the day before. For a brief moment he had been closer to a girl then he had been in a while. It didn't help that that girl was completely his type. Tomboyish, a little cocky, sure of herself and her actions, and not bad on the eyes. Of course it had basically been a challenge to his pride when she had brushed him off and had teased him about the whole thing before taking off.

Shishido liked that in a girl but with Ebony, it might be more then he could handle. The girl seemed to be a hand full to everyone she knew. Not to mention that he knew next to nothing about their new manager, aside from the fact that she could be a taskmaster when she wanted to be. Not much to go on.

"Hey, isn't that Ebony-chan?"

Shishido looked up when Ohtori spoke, the rest of his teammates doing the same. Up ahead of them Ebony was leaving a fenced in apartment building that required a security code and card key to get past the gate. One of those tight security apartment buildings. Ebony made sure the gate closed behind her and started down the steps, tossing keys into her bag as she walked.

Apparently she lived in the apartment building.

She didn't see them as she pulled a cellphone out of her bag to check a text message. Jirou chose that moment to come fully awake and surge towards the girl, throwing his arms open wide.

"Ebony-chan!" Jirou cheered.

Ebony looked up from her phone and took a step backwards to avoid Jirou, who ended up tripping and sprawling, face first onto the ground. Ebony leaned over to look down at him, snapping her phone close as she did.

"'Sup. How's the ground looking this morning?" Ebony asked.

Jirou sat up, grinning up at her. Ebony shook her head and offered him a helping hand. Jirou took it and got to his feet. He threw his arms around her in greeting anyway and Ebony couldn't help but smile at him.

"Morning, Ebony-chan." Ohtori greeted as the others joined them.

"Morning." Ebony replied, exiting out of her messages and slipping her phone into her skirt pocket.

The girl fell into step with them as easily as if they did it everyday. She greeted them all, Shishido included, and didn't seem bothered by what had happened yesterday a practice. Shishido was embarrassed. How she wasn't as well, was beyond him.

"So you live here, Ebony-chan?" Oshitari asked, gesturing to the apartment complex as they passed it.

"Yeah. My father wanted me to move in with Sasaki, but I refused. I wasn't going to live with someone I barely knew. So my father got me a place of my own under a few circumstances." Ebony replied.

"What kind of circumstances?" Shishido asked.

Just then Ebony's phone went off, lighting up her pocket and playing some song by a new hard rock band called _In The Moment_. Ebony fished the phone back out and looked at the screen, checking the ID of the caller.

"What kind of circumstances, you ask. This." Ebony said, gesturing to the phone. "Hold on a sec, will you."

With that Ebony flipped open the phone, hit _Send_ to receive the call and put the phone to her ear. She took a deep breath before answering.

"Jackie's Mule Barn. Sorry our head jackass happens to be in France with his new wife after he dropped his beloved teenage daughter off in a country she has never been to before with a man she hardly knows, betraying her trust in him, so **please**, tell me how I can help you." Ebony said into the phone in the most mocking and sarcastic tone she could manage.

She was speaking English but most of them were able to keep up with what she said. They also had a pretty good idea as to who was on the other end of the phone. Shishido wasn't too sure her father would be happy being talked to like that. He knew his wouldn't have been happy if he had talked to him like that. And if the curt, muffled reply from the other end of the phone was anything to go by, he wasn't.

"No, actually you do deserve that. Especially after pulling my chains to make me agree to the manager thing. What if I didn't want to join a club or make friends?" Ebony replied.

There was more muffled speech from the other end of the phone and Ebony's eyes rolled up towards the sky as if she was praying for patience.

"I didn't say that, Papa, but I do know what you're up to. Don't think for a moment that I don't know you better then that." Ebony said sternly.

The voice on the other end of the phone got softer, the muffled, but gruff sound turning into a low rumble. Ebony's father obviously had a deep voice. Ebony heaved a sigh, her free hand going to her hip.

"Don't Ebby me, Papa. You're going to owe me big time when you finally come back." Ebony said.

A chuckle sounded from the phone. The man on the other end said something else.

"Yeah. Whatever you say, Papa. Yeah, yeah. I love you too, but that doesn't mean I have to like you at the moment. You're on probation." Ebony replied.

Ebony wrapped up the conversation from there, promising to call her father after school, and hung up, slipping the phone back into her pocket.

"You're dad actually let you get away with basically calling him a jackass?" Mukahi asked.

"I've called him worse then that before. He knows I don't mean it, even if I'm angry." Ebony replied. "Besides...he's sucking up right now."

"What for?" Mukahi asked.

He obviously couldn't understand why anyone would feel the need to suck up to Ebony for anything. Ebony ignored the sneering tone in his voice.

"For dropping me here at the last second. He didn't even warn me before leaving me with Sasaki." Ebony replied.

"Sounds like he thought you would kick up a fit." Shishido remarked.

"Damn straight, I would have!" Ebony retorted.

Ebony didn't see the problem with that. Wouldn't any child throw a fit if their father had suddenly left them in a new country with someone they barely knew? She was completely justified in her hurt feelings and she showed those hurt feelings by being a royal sized bitch. She had never claimed to be nice and her father knew that. It was why he hadn't explained anything to her until after he had gotten her to Sasaki.

"And you're mother? What does she think?" Yushi asked.

Ebony didn't answer right away. Her eyes stared straight ahead as she ran a hand through her flaming hair.

"I wouldn't know." she replied.

"Surely she must have given her opinion with your father leaving you in Japan." Yushi said.

"Kind of hard for her to do that." Ebony said in reply.

Further conversation was stopped when the school building came into view. Ebony sped up, leaving the boys behind. As she walked, she pulled a notebook out of her bag and pulled a couple of stray sheets from the thing. The boys rushed to catch up but by the time they caught up to her, she was pushing open the door to the club room. Ebony instantly went to the desk, claiming Atobe's chair as her own and spreading the sheets across the surface.

"What are those?" Mukahi asked.

"Your new regiments. I'm finishing a few things and then I'll be handing them out." Ebony replied as she wrote something down on one sheet and then another.

Leaving her to it, the boys went to the locker room and changed. She was missing from the desk when they left. They found the girl, changed into her PE shorts and track jersey, on the courts, a stack of papers in her hands. She had managed to pull her hair back into a tie, showing off the high features of her face. She had Atobe next to her, looking over the papers as she pointed out things to him. Apparently the captain agreed with her, for he was looking at the papers, and Ebony, with a look of awe.

"We'll start the new regiments today." Atobe was saying as they neared the two.

When Atobe looked at them over her head, Ebony turned, a smile curving her lips. She held up the sheets in her hands.

"New regiments are ready. Getting ready for the work out of your lives." she told them, handing each of them their regiment.

"Oh you have got to be kidding. This is easily twice what we've been doing!" Mukahi said, looking over his.

"Exactly. If you don't push yourself then you'll never improve. Have fun." Ebony told them, with a wink before turning away from them to go over see the practicing of first years.

"She's trying to kill us." Mukahi said sourly.

"She's trying to improve your game." Oshitari insisted.

Shishido was too busy watching Ebony over the top of the paper in his hand. The girl was going from first year to first year, correcting stretches. Several boys, even those among the second and third years, were stopping to turn and watch her as she move. He didn't miss that several of those pairs of eyes lingered on parts of Ebony they shouldn't be on. He didn't like it, but it wasn't like he could force them to stop.

After all Ebony wasn't his girlfriend.

Catching himself on that thought, Shishido forced his attention from Ebony and back to the new regiment in his hands. Forcing himself to remember the new layout of his training regiment, he joined his teammates in stretching. Sitting on the ground, Ohtori standing over him and leaning on his shoulders, Shishido reached for his toes. Ohtori applied a light pressure to his shoulders. Not enough to actually push his muscles to stretch to their limit.

For a moment Ohtori's hands vanished from his back and when a pair of hands came back to his shoulders, he knew instantly that it wasn't Ohtori. These hands were too small, too slim to be Ohtori's. Shishido didn't have time to look over his shoulder before these new hands applied a stronger pressure, forcing him further down in the stretch. Shishido felt his muscles stretch, felt the slight burn that came with a good stretch.

"You're not stretching far enough. Ohtori, you need to apply a bit more pressure to his shoulders." came Ebony's soft voice as she held him in place. "Of course you don't want to apply to much and force him to over stretch the muscles. That could cause them to tear."

Ebony's hands released and Shishido sat up, changing his position. He didn't look back at her, knowing his cheeks would be a little red. He hadn't expected to have Ebony's hands on him out of nowhere. Shishido reached outward again and Ebony laid her hands on his shoulder's once more. She pushed as he stretched.

"If you push him a little further everyday, it'll stretch his muscles better. The same goes for all of you." Ebony said from over Shishido's head.

"Can you help me next, Ebony-chan?"

Shishido raised his head and shot Oshitari a look. Oshitari grinned back at him. Ebony didn't noticed, too busy focusing on the amount of pressure she was applying to Shishido's wide shoulders. She could feel the muscles tightening under her fingers, trying to force his back to straighten. She did, however, glance up at Oshitari as she eased the pressure off Shishido's shoulders.

"You've got it. You don't need help." she told him, watching him as he pushed just hard enough to stretch Mukahi.

Ebony stepped aside and let Ohtori take over once more. She checked each of the boys, not noticing that Shishido shot Oshitari a glare when the other boy grinned at him. Once she was sure that they were all stretched, she set them off to do laps, watching from the side lines with a stopwatch as they ran.

"You seem to be doing a fine job."

Ebony looked up as Sasaki stepped up to her side, watching the boys. She turned her eyes back to the boys, charting their progress in a notebook in her hands.

"Yeah well, just because I didn't want to job, doesn't mean I'm going to do it poorly." Ebony replied.

Sasaki looked down at his new niece, watching her as she marked numbers down under names. His eyes landed on Ebony's left ear were two butterfly shaped, silver earring glittered at her lobe and a third in the shape of a twining dragon, slithered over the top curve of her ear.

"You aren't suppose to be wearing earrings like this at practice, let alone school." Sasaki said, reaching out to tap the dragon.

Ebony jerked her head to the side, never taking her eyes off the boys as they passed. As far as Ebony was concerned, she had compromised on having to wear the skirt, which she hated, the least they could do was let her leave her earrings in. It was pretty much the only girly thing about her. She really liked her earrings. It was why she had multiple piercings to begin with.

"With my hair down, no one can tell I'm wearing them. And it's not like its a distraction or anything." Ebony retorted.

Sasaki dropped his hand to his side and eyed Ebony. He really didn't know what to do with her. He had talked to her father, Xavier, about her and her attitude and all the other man could tell him was that pushing her and trying to punish her wouldn't get him anywhere. Ebony would bite at the bit and dig her heels in if someone tried to tell her what to do. Xavier had even shared with his new brother-in-law all the ways to bride Ebony into doing as she was asked. Sasaki would rather not have to resort to that.

"Don't let your teachers see it." he told her.

Ebony turned a surprise look on him, raising an eyebrow. He could see the suspicious look on her face as she searched his face. Sasaki didn't say anything else on the earring.

"How are the new regiments going?" he asked.

"Everyone is adjusting well so far. A few complaints, but nothing I can't handle. A few weeks on this new regiment and I should be able to increase it, just a little at a time, until they are doing three times the amount they were previously. Come your first tournament, I can promise they will be in tip top shape." Ebony told him.

Sasaki nodded. Ebony was very capable at managing a team. He didn't see why she hadn't wanted to join a club, but he wouldn't press her for an answer. He had found out his first day with her that pressing for answers got him nothing but the sharp side of her tongue.

"Good. Keep up the good job, Ebony." Sasaki told her, patting her shoulder as he turned to walk away.

Ebony peered over her shoulder at him. She wasn't sure what to think about that conversation, but she had a pretty good idea on what it was. Sasaki had, more then likely, talked to her father and had asked for tips on how to live with her around. She was almost sure that that was the case since Sasaki had just used the same I-won't-say-anything-if-you-won't tactic her father used a lot of the time.

Rolling her eyes, Ebony turned back to her monitoring of the boys. Sasaki was a silly man if he was actually taking advice from her father. Xavier Kraven was a man who didn't know up from down some times and resorted to bribing and sucking up to his own daughter to get her to do what he asked of her. But if Sasaki wanted to use the methods her father used, then who was she to stop him? She actually couldn't wait to see what he used to bribe her with. She would take full advantage of it.

END

Kyandi: There! That chapter done!

Ebony: And you still have more chapters for over stories to update on your breaks.

Kyandi: That I do. I best get to work on that.

Ebony: Yep. Don't forget to talk to yourself.

Kyandi: What does that got to do with it!?

Ebony: You always talk to yourself when you're working on a chapter.

Kyandi: Only if I'm tired!

Ebony: You're doing it now.

Kyandi:...Everyone enjoy and review! And ignore Ebony!

Ebony: Hehe...We'll be back soon. Bye!


	5. Hocus Pocus

Kyandi: Hey everyone! I'm back with another chapter!

Ebony: One that has actually been ready for a while now.

Kyandi: I've been busy with other projects and forgot! I'm human okay!

Ebony: Better late than never, I guess.

Kyandi: Jeez, would it kill you to be nice?

Ebony: Yes.

Kyandi: Alright, we're moving on. Everyone enjoy and review.

Ebony: Kyandi-sama does not own Prince of Tennis.

Chapter 5 Hocus Pocus

"Ebony-chan!"

Ebony stopped in her steps and half turned as she heard Jirou's cheerful call. It seemed every time it came to getting her attention, Jirou was wide awake. And he was currently heading her way, waving his hands over his head. Ebony heaved a good-natured sigh and propped her fist on her hips, waiting for him, and the others behind him, to catch up.

"What's up, buttercup?" she asked as Jirou came to a stop beside her.

Jirou gave her a questioning look at the buttercup part, but let it slide easily. Instead he smiled at her as the others joined him.

"Since today was only a half day, we were going to go get something to eat and then hang out together." Jirou told her.

"Atobe's treat." Mukahi added.

"Atobe's treat?" Ebony asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well of course. Ore-sama would not expect others to pay." Atobe said grandly, giving some royal gesture of his hand.

"You'll come with us, right Ebony-chan?" Ohtori asked.

Ebony looked over the boys, one eyebrow still cocked. She ran a hand through her hair, shoving the bangs back from her face to look at them clearly.

"In a skirt? You have got to be kidding. I don't even like going to school in this thing." Ebony replied.

"We can always make a stop at your apartment." Atobe told her.

"The eight of you in my apartment? Sounds like a trip." Ebony remarked, turning on her heel to continue her walk.

"A trip? What does that even mean?" Mukahi asked.

"It means that if you're going to step foot in my apartment you better get a move on." Ebony replied over her shoulder.

Taking that to mean that she would join them after she had changed, the boys caught up with her, falling into step beside her. Atobe offered a ride, but Ebony shot it down almost before the offer completely left his mouth.

"What's wrong with a little walking? You're all athletes right? It won't kill you." was her reply.

Thankfully, Ebony's apartment wasn't too far from the school. When they reached the security gate, Ebony pulled out her card key, which was attached to her key chain, keys and key chains jingling together as she moved up to the gate.

"The eight of you need to hurry once I open the gate. If the gate stays open too long it sets off a security alarm off in the front office. I'm already on bad terms with the manager." Ebony told them as she swiped the card and punched in the code.

Ebony pushed open the gate, the boys hurrying past her so she could swing the gate close before the alarm could go off.

"Why are you on bad terms with him?" Oshitari asked.

"He's one of those types that believes a teenage girl living alone is nothing but bad news. Doesn't matter that it was my father that came here and signed the papers and pays the rent. I may have made a very unkind retort after hearing him call me a slut to one of the other occupants here." Ebony replied as she lead the way down the side walk.

"What did you say to him?" Mukahi asked.

"You know, that's probably better left **not** being repeated." Ebony replied.

Of course it made them all even more curious but Ebony didn't explain any farther then that as she started up the stairs.

Ebony's apartment was on the fifth floor and was one of the only four apartments on that floor of Building A. The door was painted a dusty blue and had four locks on it, which Ebony had to unlock with four separate keys. When she pushed the door open, the found themselves in a short front hall. To the left was a row of pegs for hanging jackets and an umbrella stand and to the right was a table with a bowl for keys and a potted plant.

Ebony kicked off her school shoes next to a pair of boots, dropped her keys in the bowl on the table, and hung her school bag from one of the pegs before she headed past the hall and into the living room. Everything was simple, if not new. The carpet was a beige color, the walls a dusty blue to match her door, the couch and armchair black and plush, the coffee tables iron framework with a glass tops, and the entertainment system modest and new. A game system was hooked up to the TV with a small bookshelf that housed her game collect, books were piled on the center coffee table, a bookshelf was sat against one wall and lined with books, and a few pictures were hung on the walls.

A half wall to the left formed a bar with steel-and-cushions bar stools through which they could see the kitchen with an attached dinning nook. A door across the living room from the front hall was open, showing a darkened bedroom with an attached bathroom.

"Have a seat anywhere. I'll only be a few minutes." Ebony told them before she vanished into her bedroom, kicking the door closed behind her. The boys took a look around while they waited, Mukahi bending to check out what games she had.

"Not a bad place." Mukahi said, though it was clear he didn't want to admit it.

Shishido thought it was nice too. It was smaller then the apartment he had gotten to share with Ohtori, but that could be because she was the only one living there. Everything was clean and neat, not a speck of dirt or dust in sight. Shishido found himself standing in front of a picture sitting on a shelf of the bookshelf.

It showed a younger Ebony, minus the ear piercings and yellow tips to her hair. Her hair was pulled into two pony tails and she was wearing a pair of grass stained shorts, and a sleeveless hoodie zipped all the way up. There was a bandage on her left cheek but she had an ear to ear grin on her face as she sat in the lap of a beautiful young woman who had her arms wrapped around the little girl. Though the face was fuller, the complexion more fair, and eyes blue-green instead of golden brown, and the hair more blonde then strawberry, Shishido could tell from the way they smiled, that this was Ebony's mother.

"Is that her mother?" Oshitari asking looking over Shishido's shoulder.

The others came to look as Shishido picked up the picture. That was all the woman could be. There were differences between the two, but there were also similarities between the two that couldn't be denied when one looked at them.

"That is Mama."

The boys turned. Ebony stood leaning against her bedroom, door jam, her arms crossed. She had switched her school uniform for a pair of black jean shorts and a red shirt with a tiger in black outline on it that hung from one of her shoulders to reveal a naked shoulder. Either she was wearing a strapless bra, or she wasn't wearing one at all. Her hair was pulled back leaving only the bangs to frame her face and her eyes were fixed on the picture in Shishido's hands.

"She hated that I couldn't stay out of the grass and had stained my shorts before the picture. That being that, when she had seen the grin on my face at being able to defend myself against a bully, she hadn't been able to help smiling. Mama said as long as I was happy, she was happy." Ebony told them, scratching at the bridge of her nose as she thought back to that day.

"Your father isn't in the picture." Oishitari pointed out.

"Mama and Papa divorced when I was three. They had married young, at seventeen, because they had been convinced that they had loved each other to the ends of the earth. Their families, though, were against it and tried to come between them at every turn. After my birth it just got worse. Mama was just a month shy of eighteen when she had me. They held on as long as they could but Mama and Papa finally couldn't take it anymore and they divorced. Mama took me back to Australia with her, Papa stayed in the States. Papa would come visit now and then, but Mama pretty much had sole custody." Ebony explained.

She stepped forward, taking down a picture on the shelf above the one that Shishido had found the picture of her mother on. She looked it over before handing it over to the boys.

"That's Papa." she told them.

The man in the picture was impossibly big. Tall, muscled, broad shoulders, wide chest, long legs. His hair was thick, curling down over the collar of his shirt, and pitch black. His skin tone was a deep, sun kissed bronze, his facial features high, like Ebony's, but sharper, giving his dark eyes a hawk-like look as he all but glared at the camera. If it wasn't for the curl of one corner of his full mouth, then it might have looked like the man was angry. Ebony had his high features, if not the sharpness of them, his dark eyes, and the thickness of hair that he boosted.

In the picture he had one large hand resting on the head of a ten year old Ebony. Ebony's hair, in the picture, was chopped off, sending it spiking away from her head and she was wearing a pair of over-alls and boots. She was trying to shove off the large hand on her head, fighting under the weight of it, but there was a curl of a grin on her face that matched that of her father's. Now the boys knew where she had gotten it from.

"He's huge!" Mukahi commented when he saw the picture.

"Six foot, five, and almost three hundred and thirty pounds. Papa is no light weight. You should try getting popped with one of those hands. They're as big around as plates and the force is enough to knock you on your ass." Ebony said, holding up her hands to show how big her father's hands were.

All of the boys pretty much agreed that none of them wanted to anger Ebony's father.

"But Mama loved him, the big brute that he was back when they had met. There was no denying that. Papa took over taking care of me at the age of eleven and I swear that man was going to have a heart attack. He went from being the big bad wolf, to a frightened kitty cat. When I first hit puberty was a real fun time. He looked at me like he thought my head was about to start turning on my shoulders and I was going to start spouting fire at him." Ebony added, her lips curling in a grin.

"Sounds like your father has a hard time with you." Wakashi remarked idly.

"Ohhh, you have no idea~!" Ebony sang, a grin on her face.

The sad thing was...they did have somewhat of an idea. And it wasn't pretty.

"But not nearly as hard as I can make it. He wasn't really there before the age eleven and didn't know the first thing about raising a daughter. I gave him a hard time at each turn. My own form of revenge for him not being there for me when I needed him." Ebony replied, taking the picture back and sitting it on the shelf. "But that was then and this is now. I'm older now."

"Does that mean you're nastier now or more mature?" Mukahi asked.

"Depends on the situation...and the person."

With that, Ebony turned away from the bookshelf and walked across the room, stopping at the bar between the living room and kitchen. She picked up a wallet there, clipping the attached chain to her belt before slipping the wallet into her back pocket.

"Whenever you boys are down snooping around my apartment, we can go." she said over her shoulder.

"Ore-sama does not snoop." Atobe said instantly in defense as he followed her into the front hall.

The other boys followed as Ebony threw a, "Uh-huh, sure you don't." over her shoulder as she grabbed her keys out of the bowl it sat in and pulled on her boots. She let the boys step outside first before she closed the door behind her and locked all of the locks. The group fell into an easy conversation of where they would eat, Atobe arguing with Mukahi, as they headed down the stairs. Ebony joined the argument, pressing both boys buttons with a grin on her face as they crossed the yard between buildings to reach the gate.

Just then a pair of old ladies walked by, both eyeing the group before they fixed Ebony with a disgusted look as they shoved past her.

"It's not proper, I tell you. Just because she a foreigner and young doesn't mean she can go around here obviously sleeping around." one woman whispered loudly to the other.

"That's the last thing this place needs. A little slut living upstairs." the other added before the women were out of ear shot.

All of the boys looked at Ebony, who's jaw was working in an attempt to keep her mouth shut. She knew saying anything to the women would do her no good. She was a single, foreign born, teenage girl living by herself. There was bound to be rumors, especially if she brought the boys around. There was no point in saying something. The boys could tell though that she had been hurt by careless judgement. Though he usually found her annoying, she was still their manager and friend now and that was more then reason enough to make Mukahi turn on his heels to say something to the women, Shishido right behind him.

"Don't bother." Ebony told them, making them stop and look back at her.

Those dark eyes were carefully blank, but the grin she had worn easily on her face, was missing now. She gave them a shake of her head when Mukahi opened his mouth to argue.

"It doesn't matter. They'll think what they want. They aren't the first to say it or think it. I know better, so its all good." Ebony told them.

"But-"

Ebony shook her head and turned and walked away. The boys looked at each other before following her. Ebony walked along, ignoring the older residents as they stared and muttered to each other, her hands jammed into her pockets. When they finally cleared the gate, Atobe had a car pick them up to take them to cafe where they would eat lunch. Ebony sat between Shishido and Ohtori, arms crossed and legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles.

"Why do you live there if everyone is so against it?" Ohtori asked.

"My father liked the security of the place. Surprisingly enough he wasn't concerned with the idea of me living alone in a foreign country surrounded by teenage boys. He was more concerned with the idea of someone breaking into my apartment." Ebony replied.

"Perhaps that is because he thinks highly of your character." Oishitari said.

"And lowly of my ability to take care of myself." Ebony retorted.

"You just latch on to the negative over the positive, don't you?" Mukahi asked.

Ebony gave him a wide grin. That was answer enough for him. Ebony did it simply to spite others. Or at least to annoy him. Atobe listened to the conversation from where he sat. Even though they had only know Ebony a few days and she was generally fond of annoying him, she was a part of his team and he took care of his team. Besides, the others had taken a liking to the girl.

"Have you told your dad what they say about you?" Shishido asked.

"No point. It would be really childish if I couldn't handle a few rumors and went running to my daddy whenever someone hurt my feelings. I'm sixteen. I have to grow up sometime." Ebony replied.

She had a point there. If her father trusted her enough to leave her in another country, living alone, then he probably expected her to handle things like this on her own. Then again that also meant that he deemed her old enough to make her own choices and take care of herself.

"And besides, its just words. Those people don't know a single thing about me. In fact, I believe they would be surprised to know the truth." Ebony added.

"What truth?" Atobe asked, cocking an eyebrow at Ebony.

"That I'm a virgin, of course." Ebony replied, not the least bit scandalized with being so blunt about the fact.

All of the boys stared at her in shock, some of their jaws dropping. Ebony raised an eyebrow of her own as she took in each of their expressions with amusement. Even Shishido and Ohtori leaned to the side to look down at her. Each of them, with the exception of Kabaji, had slept with someone at one point in their high school careers. In Wakashi's case, it was his long time girlfriend of three years. Ebony was so confident in appearance that none of them had stopped to consider that she might be innocent with it came to the ways of men and women and a bed.

"Oh, are you all surprised too? I have a hulk of a father that, until recently, hasn't let me out of his sight. Leave it to him and I would die an old maid." Ebony said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Leave it to the boys in our school and that won't be the case." Oshitari remarked with a grin.

Shishido shot his friend a look while Ohtori jumped into a tirade about saving one's self until they were sure they were ready. Ebony waved it all off, obviously not the least bit interested in the topic of sex. As far as she was concerned, she didn't need it to survive therefore it wasn't that big of a deal. Of course she had never done it so what would she know.

"Not interested. I'm here until my father decides where he and his new wife want to live. I'm not interested in any of that." Ebony replied.

"You only say that because you haven't meant that guy that will turn your head and make you fall at first sight." Oishitari remarked.

"Hocus pocus. Love at first sight...that's just a bunch of hog wash. Lust at first sight it more like it. Doesn't take love to be attracted by looks. I know that much." Ebony retorted. "You read too many romance novel apparently."

Oishitari grinned. He wouldn't deny that he read them, because he did, but that didn't mean he was jaded. If anything, Ebony was. Oshitari believe anything was possible when it came to love. Ebony just wasn't interested in hearing it. Oishitari's eyes went to Shishido then, who was watching Ebony out of the side of his eyes. It was easy to tell that Shishido liked her. Even if it was just a little.

"And if you get asked out?" Oishitari asked.

A curt laugh left Ebony so suddenly, it had her clamping a hand over her mouth. She continued to snicker for a moment before reining in her laughter enough to give him an amused smirk.

"Oh like that's going to happen. If guys are interested in me, with all my annoying quirks, it's because they like the way my body fills out my clothes. And **that** does not hold my interest." Ebony said.

"That's not true, Ebony-chan." Ohtori insisted.

Ebony leaned her head back to look up at him.

"Oh really? What, are you going to ask me out?" she asked.

"No, I just-"

"I prove my point. You like me only as a friend. Which is understandable. I would drive you insane as anything else." Ebony said, cutting him off, patting his arm as she did.

"You drive me insane as a friend." Mukahi muttered.

Ebony fell into her usual routine of pushing his buttons as a reply to his retort. Shishido watched her, lost in thought. If she thought that way, then what would she say if she knew that he was starting to like her as more than a friend? Would she blow him off or could he change her mind about how she viewed herself and how she fit into relationships? First things were first. He ended to be her friend before he could be anything else. Ebony was still new to Japan and that kind of change couldn't be easy. He had to give her time, as well as himself.

After that he would see where they stood.

END

Kyandi: And there's your new chapter!

Ebony: She's working on the next one too.

Kyandi: That I am. Hopefully my muse will continue to work with me.

Ebony: We shall see.

Kyandi: Yes we shall. So everyone, enjoy and review.

Ebony: We will be back soon.

Kyandi: Bye, bye!


	6. Day Off

Kyandi: I'm back!

Ebony: Ta-da.

Kyandi: Sorry I've been missing so long, everyone. I lost internet service for a long while and still don't have it. I'm having to post whenever I can get a spare moment to go to the public library or whenever I can piggy back on a friend's wi-fi. Which I've been able to do a lot lately.

Ebony: She's a bum.

Kyandi: I am not! We only have like one internet carrier out where I live, thank you very much!

Ebony: Uh-huh...bum.

Kyandi: Whatever! Everyone please enjoy and review.

Ebony: Kyandi-sama does not own Prince of Tennis.

Kyandi: I do own you, so remember that next time you call me a bum.

Ebony:...

Kyandi: That's what I though-

Ebony: Bum.

Kyandi: **ARGH!**

Chapter 6 Day Off

This was **not** the position or situation that Ebony had thought to find herself in when she had agreed to hang out with the boys. She had expected the arcade, or sports store, or something else boys normally did. Not **this**.

As it was, she was in the position and she wasn't quite sure how to feel about it.

"This is completely unnecessary." Ebony called out from one side of a pair of white curtains.

Atobe sat in a plush, velvet lined chair on the other side, his friends either looking around the shop or sitting in other chairs waiting for Ebony to come out. Shishido was sitting on a foot stool off to the side, Ohtori sitting on the chair next to it as they waited.

"If you are going to be the manager for Ore-sama's team then you must look the part." Atobe replied.

"And what is wrong with my track uniform? A lot of managers wear those." Ebony called through the curtains.

"Our's will not. Just be satisfied I'm not going to put you in a skirt." Atobe told her.

There were protest from the assistants that were with Ebony on the other side of the curtains and the sound of a bit of a struggle before Ebony stuck her head out of the curtains. There was a frown on her face as she looked at Atobe. She was clearly displeased.

"You put me in a skirt and I'll have a reason to bring out my tomahawk." she told him sourly.

"What's a tomahawk?" Jirou asked.

"Its an ax-like weapon used by Native Americans back in the old west to scalp their enemies." Oishitari replied.

"You have a tomahawk?" Mukahi asked, turning to Ebony with awe.

"I'm half Native American and was raised under Native American customs for half of my life. Of course I have a tomahawk. I also have an official headdress too." Ebony retorted.

"If you do not want to wear a skirt then quietly just let the assistants do their job." Atobe told her.

That deepened the frown on Ebony's face before the assistants yanked her back behind her curtain. There was the sound of muttering before Ebony fell quiet. Some more time passed before an old woman with graying black hair and thin glasses perched on the tip of her nose, poked her head out of the curtain.

"What colors would you like this outfit in, Atobe-sama?" she asked in a kind and completely charmed voice.

"The same as our tennis uniforms; powder blue and white." Atobe told her.

The woman nodded and vanished once more. There was some low muttering from the other side of the curtain as the women worked and then the curtains parted to show Ebony dressed in a pale purple, silk robe.

"Wait here, Kraven-san, while we finish the outfit and then we will call you to try it on." the woman told her.

Ebony glanced over her shoulder as the woman closed the curtains once more. She put her hands on her hips and heaved a huff that sent her bangs bellowing upwards.

"I feel like some snotty, pretty, pink princess and I feel stupid in this." Ebony muttered, plucking at the robe she was wearing as she turn back to the others.

Ohtori moved, offering her the chair he had been sitting in and moving to sit on the couch with a sleeping Jirou and Wakashi. Ebony took the seat offered her.

"You look pretty in the robe. Not stupid." Ohtori assured her.

Ebony straightened her shoulder, tossing her hair over one shoulder as she crossed her legs, the robing parting to show off the long length of one leg.

"I know. I'm hot enough to pull this off." she remarked, clearing joking, giving a blushing Ohtori a wink.

The others grinned, realizing the joke for what it was. Ebony leaned to the side, placing an arm on Shishido's shoulder to use him like an armrest. She seemed completely comfortable leaning on him like that. Shishido didn't mind letting her do it either. If she turned her head just right, he could feel her breath tickle his ear. It made him a little hot under the collar, but he forced himself to ignore it.

"I still don't get why I have to have a special uniform. I feel ridiculous in anything other then my own clothes as it is." Ebony said, turning her eyes to Atobe.

"Its best to just not question him, Ebony-chan." Oishitari told her.

Ebony heaved a sigh. She didn't understand it and didn't feel like trying at this point. Atobe seemed stubborn enough to butt heads with her and come out on top.

"Fine, but I'm paying for it." Ebony insisted.

"Not a chance." Atobe retorted.

"You're stubborn." Ebony said in reply.

"And you're one to talk?" Atobe questioned.

Ebony shook her head at him, rolling her eyes. Atobe obviously didn't understand girls. Though Ebony may be on the boyish side, she was still a female. In her opinion, the female half of the human population was inclined to stubbornness. It was their right given that it was the female that had to carry and give birth to the males' children. The least they could do was suffer the stubbornness of females, in silence.

Atobe obviously didn't agree with that.

"As long as it's not a skirt or anything girly, I suppose it's not that bad." she said grudgingly.

Ebony heaved a sigh, listening to the boys talk as they waited. She didn't move from where she was leaning on Shishido and the boy never told her to get off either. A couple of times, the women called Ebony back to check the outfit, making sure it fit properly. The women worked quickly in had the outfit done in two hours. When finally it was done, Ebony stepped out to show the boys. Shishido did a double take.

The outfit was a one-piece, sleeveless body suit with the legs cut off at mid thigh and a high neck that zipped from the collar bones up. It fit Ebony like a second skin and was a powder blue with white stripes down the sides. The back read "manager" over the shoulders and the front had Hyotei across it. Over it she wore the same jersey as them, but with "manager" under the team name.

Ebony turned to a mirror, looking at herself. She rolled the sleeves of the jersey up to her elbows and put her hands on her hips. The outfit showed off her legs and would be a distraction if she posed just right. There was just too much length to those legs not to draw a male's attention.

"I guess it's not that bad, but did it have to be so tight? I feel like I'm wearing two skins. Getting into this thing is going to be a chore." Ebony remarked.

"You'll have to do a lot of running around with us. It's best that the clothing doesn't get in your way. And that certain parts of you are contained." Atobe told her.

Ebony didn't need it spelled out for her to know he was talking about her breast and butt. The outfit cupped both just right, lifting them, but keeping them contained. Ebony wouldn't have to worry about a bra while wearing the outfit, that was sure.

"Uh-huh," Ebony turned to look at him. "You just want me to pose as a distraction to your opponents."

"Not true." Atobe exclaimed.

Ebony smiled, showing she had been teasing him and was pleased that he had reacted the way he had. Atobe scowled at her as she turned back to the mirror.

"It's not like I care if that's the case. I won't be paying attention to them anyhow." she remarked.

"What, are you gay or something?"

"Gakuto!" Yuushi scolded.

But Ebony snorted in amusement at that. She turned to face the red head, her hands going to her hips. The grin that curled her lips could be described as mischievous.

"Oh, you'd like that wouldn't you? A little girl on girl action." she retorted.

Mukahi went red in the face when he had expected her to be the one to blush, not him. Ebony just grinned as she turned back to the mirror.

"Does anything get to you!?" he snapped.

"Of course, but I'm not telling you what. That would ruin my fun." Ebony replied.

Shishido was starting to like the girl more and more. She was just his kind of girl. He watched as she twisted, testing the clothing to see if she could still move freely in it. Satisfied that it would work, she gave her reflection a nod.

"It's not bad, even if it does fit like a second skin. Though I fail to see why my gym clothes weren't good enough." Ebony remarked.

Atobe "tch" her as he stood up from his seat. Planting a hand between her shoulder blades, he gave Ebony a push back towards the dressing room. Ebony staggered forward a few steps before turning to raise an eyebrow at him.

"No use trying to explain myself to you, again. Go change so we can go eat." he told her.

"Bossy diva, aren't you?" Ebony retorted as she retreated back behind the curtain.

It didn't take her ten minutes to change. When she came out, Atobe was paying for the outfit, which got another round of argument from Ebony, who refused to be treated like a charity case in any shape or form. She insisted she pay for her own stuff, but Atobe finally just had the rest of them usher her out the door, while he dealt with payment. Ebony heaved a sigh, letting it go, though she crossed her arms over her chest while they waited.

When he finished, they went to eat. Ebony sat back and enjoyed watching the boys interact with each other. It was obvious they had all been friends for a long time. They were so easy around each other. Some of them were also easy to tease. Something she took full advantage of.

What could she say?

It was fun.

After eating Ebony was dragged to several places; the arcade, a movie, some stores, and so on. By the time she was dropped off at her apartment complex, it was well after dark and they had already stopped for dinner. And she was ready to get up to her apartment, strip down to her underwear, and pass out in her bed for a long night's rest.

"It was fun, diva. I'll see you guys Monday." she told them, waving as she took out her keys and slipped through the gate with a swipe of the security key.

Maybe living here wasn't going to be dreadfully awful.

Not that she was going to tell her father that.

-0-0-0-0-

Ebony was the type of person that if she could find a reason to sleep in, she would. So when Sunday morning rolled around and her alarm went off at seven as it normally did, she smacked the snooze button, rolled over and snuggled up with a pillow. Her father knew, by now, about her habit of sleeping in on Sundays and tended not to call her until it was after noon in Japan. That meant she had another five hours to sleep.

Unfortunately, no one told her phone that.

At seven-thirty, her phone rang. Ebony grumbled to herself as she rolled over to pick it up and look at the ID. Shining back at her was a number she didn't know. She flipped the phone open, hit the receiving button and put it to her ear.

"I don't know who you are, or how you got this number, but you better have a damn good reason for waking me up before noon on a Sunday." she said into the phone.

"_Is that any way to speak to your captain?_"

Ebony groaned, slapping a hand to her face when she heard Atobe's voice from the other end of the line. Didn't the diva ever sleep in? Or was it simply beyond him to take a day off and just sleep?

"How'd you get my number, diva?" she asked.

"_Stop calling me that. As to how I came about your number, that is for me to know. Now get up and come let us in._" Atobe replied.

"Excuse me? Let you in?"

"_We are waiting at your gate. Now hurry up._"

With that, Atobe hung up. Ebony held her phone out to look at it. Was he crazy? Or did he really just think of himself as a king that much? Either way Ebony knew if she didn't do as he requested, she would never hear the end of it.

With a moan, Ebony rolled out of the bed, hitting the floor with a thud that was sure to have her neighbors downstairs glaring at their ceiling. She grabbed the first clothes she could find on the floor, slid on her boots, grabbed her keys and headed down to the gate. Atobe and the rest of the team were waiting there when she reached it. Shishido noticed her approaching first and started to greet her, but stopped when he noticed what she was wearing.

Ebony had come down to the gate in a pair of shorts so short they could be classified as booty shorts, and a T-shirt so big, it had slid off both of her shoulders. It looked like a single tug could have it sliding down and off her altogether and that the only thing that kept it from doing so was her breast. Which were completely unrestricted by a bra, he noticed. Her hair was a mess about her head and she looked like she had just rolled out of bed.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Mukahi asked.

"Well lets see...I was asleep when the diva called and not ten minutes has passed. I simply grabbed the first thing I could reach to pull on. You're lucky I didn't come out here in my sleep wear." Ebony retorted as she opened the gate, gesturing for them to haul ass.

"Which is?" Yuushi asked.

"My underwear, now move it." Ebony retorted, so tired she didn't bother with tack.

Shocked to find out that Ebony only slept in her panties-and that she was willing to share that information-they hurried past her and she closed the gate. Covering a yawn, she slipped past them and headed back towards her apartment.

"I can't believe you were still asleep. Or that you would tell us that." Mukahi remarked.

"Well excuse me for wanting to sleep in on a Sunday. You're lucky I get up in time for morning practice. And I don't care if anyone knows what I do and do not sleep in. It's not like anyone gets to see." she retorted. "And as it stands, all of you are going to have to sit in my livingroom and wait while I shower and change."

And that was exactly what they did. Ebony left them in the livingroom while she vanished into her room to take a shower. After showering and changing into jeans and a purple tank top with beads stitched into the neck line in a dragon pattern, she came out of her bedroom, toweling her hair dry, to find Mukahi and Shishido playing one of her games.

"I hope you don't mind." Ohtori said, seeing her.

"Nah, it's fine." Ebony replied.

Ohtori was waiting for a turn, Kabaji watching from the couch with Wakashi sitting at the other end of the couch, Jirou asleep between them. Oshitari was scanning her bookshelves for interesting books while Atobe was picking through the ones sitting on a little table next to her chair.

"First edition collection of...Edgar Allen Poe?" Atobe said, raising an eyebrow at Ebony as he held up one book that was well read and marked with about a dozen sticky notes.

"Edgar Allen Poe is great. A true heart wrencher." Ebony retorted. "And if you only came here to criticize my choice of liteature, you can leave."

"That is not the reason we are here." Atobe assured her.

"Then why are you here?" Ebony asked.

"Friends do hang out on off days." Oshitari remarked.

Ebony glanced at him as Atobe nodded in agreement. Friends, huh? That was their excuse for waking her up early on her day off? Ebony kind of wanted to throw one of her books at Atobe. The only thing that stopped her was that she wasn't in reach of any of her books and she really didn't want to ruin any of her dear books because of him.

"I don't believe I asked for friends." Ebony retorted.

"Too bad. You need them and who better to be your friend than ore-sama?" Atobe asked with a flare.

"You weird me out." was the blunt retort from Ebony.

Atobe huffed in response. Ebony dropped to sit next to Shishido, continuing to dry her hair. She had a brush tucked into one pocket of her jeans and pulled it out to sit it on the floor. As she rubbed the drops of water out of it, her hair curled, springing up around her head in springs. Shishido got a little distracted with her sitting next to him and was killed easily by Mukahi who let up a cheer at beating him.

"You have really curly hair." Yuushi said, tugging at one curl.

"You have a problem with curls?" Ebony asked.

"No. It just usually looks so straight." Yuushi replied.

"Yeah well...curls drive me up the wall. I straighten it." Ebony replied, wrapping her hair up in the towel to allow it to continue drying.

"I think they look good on you." Shishido remarked.

Ebony gave him a smile for his efforts but shook her head at him, the towel coming undone. She huffed as she whipped the towel off. She didn't agree with the opinion and never had. Curls annoyed her to no end. She had met plenty of people who looked wonderful with really springy, curly hair, but she was not one of them. Not to mention that, with how thick her hair naturally was-all thanks to her father-it knotted and tangled far too much to be able to do anything with it.

"Thanks but I'll deal without curls if I can. They're really hard to take care of and tangle a lot." Ebony told him.

Ebony went back to toweling her hair. When she deemed it dry enough, she dropped the towel on the floor and picked up her brush. Shishido thought it was funny, watching her as she brushed her hair. Every time a curl would spring up or get tangled, she would grumble under her breath. Personally, he liked how her hair curled around her face, but it was her hair, her opinion, her choice.

"So exactly what did you plan on dragging me too today?" Ebony asked, casting a look in Atobe's direction.

Atobe chuckled, more to himself. It made Ebony's eyebrows snap down as she eyed him. She paused in brushing her hair to turn and look at him fully.

"Alright, diva, spill. What little plan do you have cooking up in that head of your?" Ebony asked.

"I do not know what you are talking about. Now finish getting ready to leave. Ore-sama has a lot of plans for today and would like to get breakfast before we start." Atobe told her.

"Oh goodie." Ebony said sarcastically as she pushed to her feet.

She didn't know what else Atobe had planned, but she had a feeling that she was going to end up wanting to strangle him. Again. But as long as it wasn't anything to do with him buying her more outfits, she was good.

She could handle anything else he threw her way.

Or so she told herself.

END

Ebony: I feel Yuushi is purposely messing with Ryou.

Kyandi: Wouldn't you? He takes it so well.

Ebony: You're sarcasm is not lost on me.

Kyandi: I would hope not.

Ebony: Boys and their jealousy.

Kyandi: Girls do it too.

Ebony: That's what's so sad about it!

Kyandi: Uh-huh...moving on. Everyone enjoy and review.

Ebony: We will be back as soon as possible.

Kyandi: Bye-bye!


End file.
